ASCOMP has been involved in various national (The Swiss Commission for Technology & Innovation, KTI-CTI, COST, Swiss Competence Center Energy & Mobility, CCEM) and international research projects (FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, US DOE, US ASHRAE), spanning a wide range of subjects, all related to transport phenomena: from turbulence to multiphase flow systems, and from phase-change – fluids boiling and condensation, PCM- heat transfer to chemical reactive flows. ASCOMP is ready to embark in new research adventures, and take part in future EU-funded (Horizon 2020) projects. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need an applied-research partner like ASCOMP.

Selected past and ongoing research projects in which ASCOMP is or was a partner are listed below.

SmartFluid Project

SmartFluid is an innovative research project funded by the Swiss Commission for Technology (CTI), involving the Haute Ecole Arc Ingénierie (HES-SO) in Switzerland and ASCOMP. Prof. Hatem Ghorbel’s Data Analysis Group at HES-SO develops for the purpose a novel genetic algorithm controller (GA) known as TransAT-SArP, aiming at accelerating convergence of the numerical TransAT computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The GA is based on evolutionary and genetic approaches that optimize the search of best adapted and fitted solutions to the current resolution context. The genetic process goes through real time adjustment of the free numerical parameters of the iterative solver within the constraints of physical convergence and objective achievement of the simulation. In order to enhance the process of selection and evaluation of the fitness of solutions, approximation functions inspired from data mining techniques (decision trees) are constructed from the perspective of historical data.

SESAME

The thermal-hydraulics Simulations and Experiments for the Safety Assessment of Metal cooled reactor (SESAME) project supports the development of European liquid metal cooled reactors (ASTRID, ALFRED, MYRRHA, SEALER). The project focusses on pre-normative, fundamental, safety-related, challenges for these reactors with the following objectives: Development and validation of advanced numerical approaches for the design and safety evaluation of advanced Gen IV reactors; Achievement of a new or extended validation base by creation of new reference data; Establishment of best practice guidelines, Verification & Validation methodologies, and uncertainty quantification methods for liquid metal fast reactor thermal hydraulics.

Hydraulic shock in field-erected ammonia piping systems

This project handled by the US branch of ASCOMP complete previous ASHRAE-funded projects
which were limited to specific pipe sizes and lengths. The present study would use CFD to model the observed events in the test rig and then to extrapolate the results of this work to other pipe sizes, pipe lengths and system temperatures. The ultimate objective of the project consists in adapting the code TransAT with the required modelling features to cope with practical applications involving hydraulic shocking in pipes.

KUWAIT-MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment (CNRE)

The Kuwait – MIT Center for Natural Resources and the Environment (CNRE) is a scientific and technical strategic partnership between the Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Center is based at the MIT Campus (Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.). The Center will build and strengthen ties between M.I.T. faculty and the scientific and technical community in the State of Kuwait. It aims to focus on Kuwait’s special problems and unique opportunities, understanding and addressing the key issues related to management of petroleum and water resources, and protection of the natural environment.
ASCOMP participates to this research program, in collaboration with the MIT, namely in the high-end simulation of multiphase flows in vertical oil & gas risers. More information

NURESAFE

The NURESAFE project addresses safety of light water reactors, which will represent the major part of fleets in the world along the whole 21st century and to deliver to European stakeholders a reliable software capacity usable for safety analysis needs and to develop a high level of expertise in the proper use of the most recent simulation tools. More information

COST-TU0802

This Actions objective is to foster and accelerate long-term advancement of renewable energy systems and phase change materials research in Europe through design, development, characterisation and simulation of new generation modified hybrid phase change materials for use in energy storage for heating, cooling and renewable energy applications.

CloudSME

Simulation can significantly improve the competitive position of manufacturing and engineering companies by reducing their costs and resulting in more efficient development, production, procurement, logistics or financial processes. However, the take-up of simulation software by SMEs has until now been low due to high barriers of entry that include hardware prices, licensing costs and technical expertise. The CloudSME project will develop a cloud-based, one-stop-shop solution that will significantly lower these barriers, provide a scalable platform for small or larger scale simulations, and enable the wider take-up of simulation technologies in manufacturing and engineering SME’s. More information

Transient Multiphase Flows (TMF)

Since 1996 the Programme has undertaken research aimed at improving commercial computer programs’ performance and supplying validation data. Following on from the success of the original work in 1999 the sponsors requested several successive stages to the research, most recently with TMF4, and TMF5 now just beginning. More information

The Multiphase Flow Assurance Centre (FACE)

The objective is to deliver world class applied and fundamental research and education focused on production, transportation and separation of complex well fluids. More information

Thermal-hydraulics of Innovative Nuclear Systems (THINS)

The THINS project is focused on the various thermal hydraulic issues related to innovative nuclear systems. The objectives of this collaborations (spanning 24 institutions) are the development and validation of physical models, improvement and qualification of numerical analysis tools and their applications.

DOE USA, CASL: Consortium for Advanced Simulation of LWRs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of a broad effort to spur innovation and achieve clean energy breakthroughs, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman today announced the selection of a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for an award of up to $122 million over five years to establish and operate a new Nuclear Energy Modeling and Simulation Energy Innovation Hub. The Hub, which includes partners from universities, industry and other national labs, will use advanced capabilities of the world’s most powerful computers to make significant leaps forward in nuclear reactor design and engineering. (Read more)

FP7: MULTIFLOW

The main objective of the Marie Curie network MULTIFLOW, funded by the 7th Framework Program of the European Commission, is to train young researchers in the field of complex flows of fluids, in a wide range of length scales from microscopic ones (some nanometers) to macroscopic ones (some millimeters or more). Considered fluids can also be complex : polymer solutions, nanofluids, colloidal solutions, liquid crystals. The studied flows can also be influenced by numerous physico-chemical effects : capillarity, phase change (evaporation, solidification), wetting, chemical reactions. The program is built around generic fundamental questions, with applications in several technological fields : coatings, thin-film evaporators, cooling of electronic components, microfluidics, nanotechnologies

FP7: LOTHERM

Thermal management in Information Society Technologies remains a major problem to be solved, especially in novel electronic devices such as increasingly miniaturised microchips, hard disks and interfaces between biological structures (e.g. nerve cells) and semiconductor micro and nanostructures. The NOVMAG consortium consists of several European research teams with long-standing experience in investigating heat transport on a microscopic as well as on a macroscopic level. It aims at exploiting a new highly effcient magnetic mode of thermal.